2021–2022 Riese & Müller Homage

[RAB63]

New Homage owner - speed motor and Rohloff. Curious the most efficient gear for very steep hills. Assuming I will be in Turbo mode. Too low of a gear feels like I am not going anywhere. Too high a gear and I run out of “gas” part of the way up (at which point it is too late to downshift). What is the best gear to take advantage of the max power/torque of the motor on long steep hills. I do realize that everybody’s fitness level is different. Thank you in advance.

 

[rudym]

Depends on your preferred cadence

 

[Alaskan]

I am an older rider and was at 210lbs when I had my Homage Rohloff HS. The climb up to our house has a couple of blocks at 18-19% grade so I got to test various combinations of gear and assist on a very steep grade. The torque curve is different on the HS (high speed) versus the CX. The CX delivers higher torque at lower speed so climbs with greater strength. The HS version will require a lower gear, perhaps 1 or 2. I was actually quite fit at the time and could climb up those grades in second gear in Sport assist mode. 1st gear is so slow that staying upright is a bit of a challenge, requiring a cadence between 80 & 90 to maintain stability.

Nice thing about a Rohloff is that you can change gears while standing still. If you ever get stopped on a steep grade in too high a gear, put it into the correct low gear, start with the bike perpendicular to the road on the side of the road, wait till the coast is clear and start moving across the road, on the level, turning up the hill before you get to the other side of the road to resume your climb.

 

[Mraverage]

I tend to go for a lower gear than I think I might need at the base of a steep hill, just to be on the safe side, especially if off road or a very sudden turn before a steep climb, say a sharp 25% gradient immediately after setting off or turning a sharp corner. I would go in 4 or 5, then work my way up to 6, 7 in turbo. But I have a standard speed CX European motor on a 2021 Homage Rohloff, not a hi-speed version. I find 7 gives me a good cadence on a 20-25% gradient once I’ve got into the rhythm, but persist with your setup and you’ll get there with it, it takes time to become second nature and we all get caught out occasionally, especially off road or in unfamiliar territory.

 

[evosam]

Rear Derailleur Indexing Help:

So wondering if folks here have any hints before I have to bring my Homage into the bike shop.

So I have a 2021 Homage GT touring. I got my first flat last week on my rear wheel so I popped off the wheel and replaced the inner tube.
Was hard getting it back onto the bike, but eventually did do it, but it looks like I can't access the top 2 gears now (the smallest ones in the back, closest to the frame).
I went through the index clicks and it seems I can only hear 8 clicks.. but I can't actually hear 11 clicks anymore....
I guess the other thing I never thought of is I never really used any of the lower gears. Typically I'm always between 4-11?

Did I knock something out of alignment or am I missing something?...hoping there are some insights folks can provide that I maybe able to check on at home before hauling it over to the bike shop to look at.

Thanks in advance for any help

-Sam

 

[Alaskan]

Rear Derailleur Indexing Help:

So wondering if folks here have any hints before I have to bring my Homage into the bike shop.

So I have a 2021 Homage GT touring. I got my first flat last week on my rear wheel so I popped off the wheel and replaced the inner tube.
Was hard getting it back onto the bike, but eventually did do it, but it looks like I can't access the top 2 gears now (the smallest ones in the back, closest to the frame).
I went through the index clicks and it seems I can only hear 8 clicks.. but I can't actually hear 11 clicks anymore....
I guess the other thing I never thought of is I never really used any of the lower gears. Typically I'm always between 4-11?

Did I knock something out of alignment or am I missing something?...hoping there are some insights folks can provide that I maybe able to check on at home before hauling it over to the bike shop to look at.

Thanks in advance for any help

-Sam

There are tons of good instructional videos on Youtube that will explain in detail how to take the stretch out of your cable, tighten the barrel connector at the shifter or at the derailleur and how to set the upper and lower limits. Just look for "adjusting Shimano XT 11 speed derailleur" or suXT 11 speed with exactly what you have. Watch a few of them and have at it, stopping to review the next step on the video when needed. Here are two good videos to start with.

 

[RAB63]

I tend to go for a lower gear than I think I might need at the base of a steep hill, just to be on the safe side, especially if off road or a very sudden turn before a steep climb, say a sharp 25% gradient immediately after setting off or turning a sharp corner. I would go in 4 or 5, then work my way up to 6, 7 in turbo. But I have a standard speed CX European motor on a 2021 Homage Rohloff, not a hi-speed version. I find 7 gives me a good cadence on a 20-25% gradient once I’ve got into the rhythm, but persist with your setup and you’ll get there with it, it takes time to become second nature and we all get caught out occasionally, especially off road or in unfamiliar territory.

Do you ever switch to a standing position on a steep grade? I presume that with the FS, standing will make the bike bounce?

 

[Mraverage]

Do you ever switch to a standing position on a steep grade? I presume that with the FS, standing will make the bike bounce?

With the standard speed CX I’ve never found a hill steep enough to warrant standing, but then again I’m not the most exiting of riders, in my sixties with a neuropathic disability in my feet which makes it difficult to sense where the pedals are under my feet, leaving me quite reluctant to do anything that involves losing my footing on the pedals. I can go up off road paths etc. about 30% in 2-3 gear, even quite long ones. Going by what Alaskan says about the HS model I’m now thinking I’m lucky they aren’t that common in Britain or I might have bought one, and being a bit limited in strength and footing it could have been a mistake for me at my age etc. may be my handle should be, Mr SlightlyBelowAverage nowadays.

 

[TrevorB]

There are tons of good instructional videos on Youtube that will explain in detail how to take the stretch out of your cable, tighten the barrel connector at the shifter or at the derailleur and how to set the upper and lower limits. Just look for "adjusting Shimano XT 11 speed derailleur" or suXT 11 speed with exactly what you have. Watch a few of them and have at it, stopping to review the next step on the video when needed. Here are two good videos to start with.

Don't adjust anything until your spent bit time see how everything works. Derailleur don't go out of tune because wheel was changed. Unless you've bent Derailleur or hanger but that takes quite bit of force in which case usual adjustments aren't going to fix it. Start with cable movement maybe caught on something.

 

[Alaskan]

Don't adjust anything until your spent bit time see how everything works. Derailleur don't go out of tune because wheel was changed. Unless you've bent Derailleur or hanger but that takes quite bit of force in which case usual adjustments aren't going to fix it. Start with cable movement maybe caught on something.

My guess is the cable needs a bit of slack taken out of it, perhaps just a turn or two on the barrel adjusment

 

[RAB63]

With the standard speed CX I’ve never found a hill steep enough to warrant standing, but then again I’m not the most exiting of riders, in my sixties with a neuropathic disability in my feet which makes it difficult to sense where the pedals are under my feet, leaving me quite reluctant to do anything that involves losing my footing on the pedals. I can go up off road paths etc. about 30% in 2-3 gear, even quite long ones. Going by what Alaskan says about the HS model I’m now thinking I’m lucky they aren’t that common in Britain or I might have bought one, and being a bit limited in strength and footing it could have been a mistake for me at my age etc. may be my handle should be, Mr SlightlyBelowAverage nowadays.

We all have our limitations. Earlier today I made it 3/4 of the way up a steep hill, and that was it. I think the lesson is you can always go up a gear or two, but difficult to go down when you underestimate the grade.

 

[Mraverage]

We all have our limitations. Earlier today I made it 3/4 of the way up a steep hill, and that was it. I think the lesson is you can always go up a gear or two, but difficult to go down when you underestimate the grade.

unless it’s a wide clear road or track, permitting the opportunity to do a quick sideways snaking like Alaskan recommended, that can get you out of trouble occasionally on very quiet clear tracks

 

[Spiffyflyer]

I have a question on the difference between the bomber z2 that is presently being shipped on the 2022 homage and the suntour aion that was the standard fork. My dealer is sending out the aion to replace a defective z2. I appreciate there quick response. I haven't rode the bike yet. The rebound control was damaged in shipping.
I'm hoping that the swap is not adverse.

 

[Clamps]

I've got the latest Homage with the Z2 front forks. They are amazing. 2 months in, no issues.
My rear Suntour shock already failed, and was replaced under warranty. I'm looking around for alternatives.

 

[Spiffyflyer]

I'm interested in the front shocks.

 

[Spiffyflyer]

I am in the market for a service rack for a homage. I want value as I'm not going to use it much I hope. I have a dropper seat.
Most racks connect to the top tube that the homage does not have. I need to hear from people that have racks that work well and what options to connect. I want the ability to service the front shocks as well as removal of rear wheels. Preferably less than 150.00

 

[DiggyGun]

I am in the market for a service rack for a homage. I want value as I'm not going to use it much I hope. I have a dropper seat.
Most racks connect to the top tube that the homage does not have. I need to hear from people that have racks that work well and what options to connect. I want the ability to service the front shocks as well as removal of rear wheels. Preferably less than 150.00

You can buy a false crossbar, which fits between the stem and the saddle post to clamp on.

Something like this.

 

[RAB63]

2 quick questions:

1. Can I expect the Homage seat to get more comfortable over time (is there a break-in period)?

2. Is there a way to get the Nyon to display ambient temperature? If not, does the eBike Connect app have this function? Seems like an oversight.

Thanks.

 

[Clamps]

2 quick questions:

1. Can I expect the Homage seat to get more comfortable over time (is there a break-in period)?

2. Is there a way to get the Nyon to display ambient temperature? If not, does the eBike Connect app have this function? Seems like an oversight.

Thanks.

Hi.
The stock Homage seat did not work for me, and I had to go through 4 others before I found the one that I'm currently using. I wish you good luck in finding yours.
And I too want the Nyon display to show temp, but I don't think it does.

 

[peterh_nz]

2 quick questions:

1. Can I expect the Homage seat to get more comfortable over time (is there a break-in period)?

2. Is there a way to get the Nyon to display ambient temperature? If not, does the eBike Connect app have this function? Seems like an oversight.

Thanks.

What type of seat is on your Homage?

Yes, I agree, an inbuilt ambient temperature display would be useful.

The lack of it is partially compensated for by the weather screen.

To be able to know what the immediate ambient temperature is, I attached a cheap ($13) digital display temperature probe to the handlebar. It works well but doesn't have back lighting for night-time viewing.